I just really like the headcanons where Aymeric or his mum help teach Estinien how to fit his long hair under his super snug dragoon helmet! His own mom and brother had similar hair so it's one of the few tangible things he has that he can connect to his family. 🥺🥺
If we're putting our lizzerds with NPCs, then of COURSE I'm putting Shuri with her WoL-canon husband.
Since I imagine the time bubble being rather long with the events of the expansion, Shuri and Estinien have been married for years since the events of Stormblood and have four children together (the youngest, Ysayle, being Ardbert's daughter bc Esti and Shuri have a poly marriage and Ardbert was in it until Shadowbringers broke my hearts).
A rather mischievous blue fairy decides to explore a dungeon...but oh dear, she’s attracted some unwanted attention~!
(I totally blame @autumnslance for this one, check out her Holiday AU’s with Aeryn and Thancred! The Lost Gentleman and the Vampire and Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf)
Blunt: Verb. To become blunt or dull.
Characters: Ayaka Mizushima (WoL), Estinien Wyrmblood
Expansion: Shadowbringers
Rating: G
Notes: Just a nice little moment between these two during the Shadowbringers patches (post-5.3 essentially)! No spoilers are mentioned.
“I think my legs are going to fall off,” Ayaka complained, lying across the ground. Her lance was discarded somewhere on the ground nearby. “They feel like they’re on fire.”
“Is that not… your speciality…?” Estinien questioned, not even looking her way as he continued with his pushups. She could tell he was sweating from the excursion and wondered how long his particular brand of stubbornness would last.
“You’re hilarious,” she drawled, staring up at the clouds lazily floating overhead. Some of them looked disturbed from her and Estinien’s jumping attempts. The clearing they found on the outskirts of Mor Dhona was free of any wanderers or monsters, which made it the perfect place to practice their jumping. Unfortunately, that meant they had free reign to goad each other as much as they pleased.
Which is how Ayaka found herself wondering if her legs were going to buckle under her if she tried standing up. She was definitely out of practice with her skills as a Dragoon.
She turned her head and looked towards her companion. Ayaka noted the way his arms were starting to quiver and raised a brow in Estinien’s direction. “Are you not tired?”
“I’m fine,” he grunted, although his shaking voice gave him away. “I'm used to pushing through the pain.”
Ayaka refrained from mentioning that wasn’t something one should get used to, mostly because it would be hypocritical coming from her. Alphinaud—and now Alisaie, too—chided her enough on it. Instead, she took in the various scars that littered Estinien’s body. Most of them looked like they belonged to dragon claws and, while her time fighting against Nidhogg’s brood had been short, she felt herself wince in sympathy at a few of them.
“I suppose the rush of the battlefield does that,” Ayaka murmured, thinking of her own moments. The memory of that fight in Ghimlyt came to mind, her desperation overpowering the pain she felt from Elidibus puppetting Zenos’ body. She hardly remembered the fact that she collapsed on the battlefield.
She heard him grunt, this time with a bit more pain, and sighed. Ayaka tried sitting up—and immediately regretting it—and grabbed her lance. She twirled it around and used the pole to poke Estinien in the side, causing the man to give a tiny shriek (that neither of them were going to talk about ever) and lose his balance. He flopped on his side like an unimpressed cat before rolling over onto his back, arms spread out.
He looked over in her direction, a horribly displeased look on his face. “Are you mad?” he asked, glaring.
Ayaka shrugged, throwing her lance a little bit further away and flopping on her back as well. “Maybe.”
“That would explain a lot.”
“Twice now you’ve made a joke today! Is the world ending?”
Estinien groaned, a pained look on his face for a split second. “Knowing our luck? Yes.”
That got a laugh out of Ayaka, with Estinien soon joining in. True, they both were probably in much more pain than they realized at the moment, but for now she’d enjoy cloud watching to pass the time. Either the pain would dull more considerably or one of their friends would notice their absence went on longer than planned—whichever came first.
There's two NPC's I think Zenos would have formed something of an actual friendship with if he had the opportunity to meet/fight them:
1. Estinien Wrymblood - He's the Azura Dragoon, and honestly, enough of a broody, stabby bastard that I think the two would have entire silent conversations where they just nod a few times. Also, Estinien is depicted several times post heavensward as being WoL levels of strong. Please remember when he exploded those Castrums all by himself with just a pointy stick.
2. Sadu Dothral - Honestly, all of the Dothral and a good chunk of the other Xaela tribes too. They have such similar philosophies about battle and life. I really think Sadu would a) hold her own against him and b) help to add nuance and deeper meaning to Zenos's view on chasing that one transendant moment at the very peak of battle.
Anyways I've been replaying Stormblood on an alt and it's really stuck out to me just how common the "find meaning and joy in tough fights" philosophy is through the game. Ishgard has it too, what with Halone being the War Goddess and all. It's just a bit more shrouded in French Catholicism where the Dothral get to have a who manefesto speech when you meet them first.
i can’t find the original anymore since i’m pretty sure i just glanced by someone’s personal post appearing in the tags, but someone on tumblr said “asexual estinien” once and it’s been burning in my mind ever since. ace estinien. asexual estinien “wyrmblood” varlineau. god can you believe. i’ve never read something that felt so right in my life. YES asexual azure dragoon estinien wrymblood varlineau. you’re so goddamn right.
Once again I wish that I had the drive to write because I am thinking about how Estinien grew up as a shepherd.
Though he spent decades fixating on his vengeance against Nidhogg, focusing on little more than perfecting and pushing dragoon arts, allowing no time for hobbies or socializing, there is still a part of him that holds onto his upbringing with animal husbandry. He's long out of practice, sure, but he still shows far more knowledge on the matter than his city-born peers. Where he is difficult with people he shows a seemingly uncharacteristic tenderness towards animals.
Estinien is especially fond of Karakuls, as the highland breed of sheep were his family's pride and livelihood. When Aymeric learns of his friend's affection for the animals he secretly commissions a stuffed Karakul toy. A gift for some occasion or another. Estinien responds to Aymeric's gift as much as one would expect with annoyance and deflection. "'Tis seems like a waste," he would tell Aymeric who would simply smile all the more at the dragoon's stubbornness. But truly he is grateful for the gesture from his closest friend who remembered something so seemingly trivial but so deeply personal about him.
Astrid started being a lancer just cause her sister was one. But learning was a bit hard, Gridania isn’t nice to strangers so she actually agreed with dear ol Foulques when he said they are all a bunch of aholes. His death actually was very hard for Astrid, who was hoping they could be friends and he could chill a bit. So when she goes to become a dragoon and finds EDGELORD Wrymblood she’s like. COME HERE YOU DUMBASS and forces him to socialize with her. They become good friends actually, since they both have a similar dark humor and when he gets too brooding Astrid just challenges him to a sparring session, she is more flexible so she can sometimes beat him. Estinien says she’s a pain in the ass, but grew fond of her and now he and Thancred the Astrid big brother club, Arslan is the president. She deeply cares for him, not only as a fellow Azure dragoon. but also as a good friend, she knows she can count on him.
Astrid scoffs at the tall elzen, Alberic is trying to be nice but she has no pity for him. So she does the sensible thing. Hit him with the blunt of her spear to shut him up, he responds in kind, a wild smile on his face while they dance around the snow. “Would you look at that, the lizard can fight” “Of course I can overgrown weed, and I´m better than you” “Cut it out both of you” Screams Alberic a bit away. “IS nice you are making friends but there’s a lot of dragons here”
Her spear is broken, and Estinien has a small heart attack; Astrid is one of the strongest fighters he knows yet this beast of a man is cornering her like she's a kid with a stick. Gods, she fought that damned dragon to save him, so now is his turn to save her, his turn to blindly charge and get his dear friend out of harm's way, that Zenos dude is not laying a hand on her.
Astrid looks down while Estinien gives her quite the talk about not telling anyone how she feels. "Guess this is your roundabout way to say you care about me" She smirks. Estinien frowns blushing a bit and flicks her on the forehead. "Of course I care about you, dummy, You're also the azure dragoon and my friend"